1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for making coffee concentrate, and more particularly, to a process for making a liquid coffee concentrate which can be stored at room temperature.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many food items have been processed for concentrate and with great success. However, many of the foods deteriorate due to various enzymatic reactions when stored in a liquid form. The state of the prior art for concentrated coffees are liquid products which must be refrigerated to stop the enzymatic reaction and thereby prevent deterioration of the product on the shelf whereby they maintain their flavor. As an example, Maxwell House, a major coffee manufacturer, announced in the May 1990 issue of packaging Digest, a Delta publication, that it was testing two new refrigerated brewed coffee concentrates in unusual packaging for the coffee industry. It has not marketed or announced a product that does not need to be refrigerated, an expensive form of shelf space in a storage or retail facility.
Another coffee concentrate is sold by Douwe Egberts Food Service of Schaumberg, Ill., a division of Sara Lee Corporation. It is used in restaurant-sized coffee makers, but the concentrate must be kept frozen until it is defrosted for loading into the coffee dispenser.
The present invention is a process for making a coffee concentrate which can be stored at room temperature in liquid form. No known company in the coffee industry has marketed such a product.